Golden Steamer
“I was quite the hero when I returned to work with my dessert booty…y'know, sans 2 pumpkin buns.”
“Golden Steamer is in the heart of Chinatown, not touristy Chinatown, but real Chinatown.”
“You can't go wrong with the steamed rost pork bun, and the pumpkin and egg custard are a good sweeter option.”
Golden Steamer
Take-out: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Inexpensive
8 reviews
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I approve of the Golden Steamer. Couldn't resist grabbing a bun while walking by and seeing someone else eat one. You shouldn't resist either.
This review is for the pumpkin buns! Great spot for fresh buns make daily. I grabbed 2 boxes of pumpkin buns which has 6 buns per box.
The dough tastes like pumpkin and the fillings are a bite of pumpkin explosion!
While the name of the place sounds like a poorly-worded innuendo, Golden Steamer offers a real fresh offering of tasty buns.
If you're looking for a quick snack, they have over a dozen choices of freshly steamed goods, ranging from sweet custard buns to savory pork and vegetable. At only $.80-90 a piece, it's a real Chinatown bargain. If you're looking for bulk orders, they also sell four packs for pickups, which you can steam at home. However, the best tasting buns come right from their kitchen steamer.
Heads up, cash only!
Been my go-to for baos for a while now. This no-frills joint is right by Deluxe Food Mart and always a good choice for both savory and sweet buns. You can pardon the vulgarity of the name, knowing that the owners were merely doing a literal translation. Haha, I love it.
My go-to is the salted egg yolk bun, or the pork and cabbage bun. The buns are definitely doughier, so as long as you don't mind the carb overload, it's quite a satisfying meal or snack. I'm also a fan of the pumpkin buns when I'm in the mood for something sweeter.
The people behind the counter aren't particularly friendly, but they're fast with the change, and they get you your product as quickly as humanly possible. Can't ask for more than that. The prices start at about $1 per bun or $4.50 for a box of 4.
Golden Steamer will likely continue to be my favorite place for buns, mostly because there aren't many crowds, and they push a very consistent product. There are plenty of other Chinese bakeries in the area, but when all you want are buns, look no further than Golden Steamer.
Stop laughing at the name. Haha, just kidding, laugh all you want.
Come on Yelp! How can this place only have 4 stars? The Golden Steamer is heaven! It is simply the best place in NYC to eat under a dollar! Freshly made, stil hot, nothing is better than their amazing pumpkin bun (I'm still dreaming of it) and it's only 70 cents!
My only criticism would be that the pork bun we tried was too little filled. But for less than $1 are you really gonna complain?
Oh and btw while you're in Chinatown, don't expect any kind service anywhere.
I dropped by today and got a steamed steamed charsiu bao (pork bun)! I love the ratio of meat to the and at only $0.80 a pop, you can't go wrong! I've also had the steamed chicken and veggie and pumpkin buns and they're all sgood and soooo cheap! Cash only!
I came to Golden Steamer after reading raving reviews from Yelp, Google Reviews, and TimeOutNewYork. The place is definitely cheap (maybe $1 per bun?). I knew it was a cash-only no-frills bun shop and that is exactly how it went down.
I had the classic BBQ Pork bun and the Egg Custard Bun. I was really happy with my selection and had very fluffy and seemingly fresh buns. However, afterwards something did not sit well with me. I still can't put my finger on it. I am not sure if it is worth trying again but it is convenient.
If you want to eat freshly made Chinese special food, go to Chinatown and more specifically to the Golden Steamer!
Their buns are just amazing and still warm when you taste them. What about the price? Well this is one of the places where you can eat for less than a dollar!